updated 02:45 pm EDT, Sun July 27, 2014

Popular torrent site launches easier to use mobile version, looks at new resilient sites

The Pirate Bay, a website linked to illegal torrent downloads, launched a new version of the site last week that aims to make the experience of using the service easier for mobile users. The new website, aptly named The Mobile Bay, revamps the design of the current website to make it friendlier to touch devices and easier to filter content.

While The Pirate Bay has been in the news due to its founders, or in the crosshairs of media organizations like the Motion Picture Association of America, the site has continued to find a way to survive. Involved in lawsuits since 2007, generally around copyright infringement, the site has undergone a number of changes since the founding members were convicted of aiding copyright infringement in 2009.

The new website, first reported on by TorrentFreak, changes the layout from a cluttered design that is friendlier to users on smartphones and tablets. The design retains the familiar search engine-like appearance with the pirate ship logo. Site users could still use the old design, but team members don't seem to think it would be in their best interest.

"The normal version of the site renders like crap on mobile devices," the team behind The Pirate Bay told TorrentFreak.

Mobile users are to be directed to the mobile site when they attempt to access the main site. However, just because the site can be accessed doesn't mean that all users will be treated equally. While Android users can download torrents with applications from Google Play, iOS users would need to jailbreak their phones in order to run torrent applications, as they are disallowed under the rules of the App Store.

In the report, the publication had the chance to talk about some of the future plans of the organization. The team plans to give the sections of the site, including music, movies and television, their own dedicated websites. For example, the television portion would show "a complete overview of all episode per show, download season packs and more." Another project in development includes a way for personalized RSS feeds called RSSbay.

"We're trying to separate the site into different domain names to make it more resilient," said The Pirate Bay developers. "In the event one domain get taken down, there will be plenty others left."

How resilient the site will be after the change remains to be seen. As The Pirate Bay is seen as a global target to pursue in the quest to halt illegal downloads, it could be possible that it's taken down before the new sites go live.

Even though the site is said to hold no pirated content itself, it's still one of the most trafficked sites in the world. The Pirate Bay currently holds a rank of 83 worldwide on Alexa, also hitting 76 in the United States.